The pea (Pisum sativum L.) is an excellent protein source for livestock and human nutrition. However, its growth is hampered by several factors including powdery mildew (Erysiphe pisi DC) and lodging in irrigation areas. These limitations may be solved through combining a Canada powdery mildew-resistant pea (Mp1807) with green cotyledon cultivar (Graf) by means of sexual hybridization. A bred semi-leafless pea, cultivar Longwan No. 6, was selected and evaluated in multiple ecological zones to investigate and evaluate high-yield, adaptability, and resistance to root rot (Aphanomyces euteiches Drechs. f. sp. pisi) and powdery mildew from 2012 to 2014. The results revealed that Longwan No. 6 was characterized by lodging resistance and moderate powdery mildew resistance. The average grain yield of Longwan No. 6 is 2855.3 kg/hm2 in spring sowing and is increased by 18.4% compared to the control cultivar (Longwan No. 1). The average grain yield of Longwan No. 6 is 2349.9 kg/hm2 in winter sowing and is increased by 12.8% when compared to the control cultivar. The results indicated that Longwan No. 6 has a greater potential to increase yield and wide adaptability. Adopting the Longwan No. 6 pea cultivar contributes to improvements in pea production in irrigation areas.

Field pea (Pisum sativum L.) is one of the most important pulse crops, and is widely grown in North China. To exploit potential pea varieties suitable for growing in spring planting areas, a set National Regional Trials of Spring Pea Genotype was carried out under irrigated and rainfed environments across seven locations. Grain yield and agronomic traits of fourteen pea cultivars were evaluated. Analysis of variance indicated that the effect of genotype, environments and genotypes × environments interaction was significant (p < 0.01). Results of GGE biplot analysis showed that the first and second principal components accounted for 77.5% and 14.5%, respectively. Genotypes accounted for just 14.7% of the variation in seed yield, while environments accounted for 39.9%, and genotypes × environments interaction accounted for 45.5% of the variation. Investigating the polygon view led to the identification of five superior genotypes and five productivity environments. Superior genotypes and key environments for grain yield were determined using a general linear model. The significant genotypes × environments interaction effects indicated the inconsistent performance of genotypes across the tested environments. Among the tested genotypes, significant differences were observed for grain yield and yield-related traits. The semi-leafless pea variety Longwan 10 was observed the highest yield (3308 kg/ha) over seven locations. Dingwan 12, Dingwan 13, Tongwan 5, Kewan 7 showed higher, stable grain yield than the overall mean of genotypes and check variety Zhongwan 6. The most representative and productivity regions for grain yield of field pea were Yondeng, Qitai, Liaoyang, Dingxi and Tangshan. These findings represent a comprehensive analysis of yield and stability of spring pea varieties and growing locations, which may be useful for national and international pea improvement programs.

Garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) is an important legume crop, which is widely planted in Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and Sichuan Basin of southwest China. It has developed rapidly in spring planting agroecological zone in Northwest China in recent years. The major constraints to its cultivation are lodging and infection of powdery mildew. Breeding of high yielding cultivars resistant to powdery mildew is of great significance for the sustainability of pea production, because few local garden pea cultivars are resistant to the disease. Varietal diversification is needed to develop pea cultivars with resistance to lodging and powdery mildew. Breeding work was initiated to develop a high-yielding garden pea cultivar with medium maturity, double podding and resistance to powdery mildew. Longwan 5 (X9002) is high yielding, superior quality, multiple resistance, and climate resilient garden pea cultivar developed by hybridization between Shuanghua 101 and Baofeng 3. It is a semi-leafless pea variety with superiority over existing approved varieties Qizhen 76 and Xucai 1 in terms of green pod yield, medium maturity, and double podding. Longwan 5 gave a significantly higher average green pod yield (12,376 kg/ha) than check varieties Qizhen 76 (11,132 kg/ha) and Xucai 1 (11,649 kg/ha) across five locations and three years, which was 11.2% and 6.3% higher than control varieties, respectively. This variety is tolerant to lodging, powdery mildew disease, and wide climate resilient for spring cultivation as well as for autumn cultivation in irrigated conditions or rain-fed agricultural areas with annual precipitation of 450–650 mm in China. Cultivation of this variety on large scale will surely increase the production of peas in China and will also prove beneficial for farmers increasing their income.